Wagon-box.



J. F. O'BRIEN, DEGD.

W. B. V-ESTAL, ADMINISTRATOR.

WAGON BOX.

APPLICATION FILED r3347, 1910.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

J. F. O'BRIEN, DEGD. w, B. VESTAL, ADMINISTRATOR.

WAGON BOX.

APPLICATION FILED 111112.17, 1910.

1,002,174. 1 Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. OBRIEN, OF GLOVERDALE, INDIA OF SAID JAMES F.

NA; WILLIAM B. VESTAL, ADMINISTRATOR OBRIEN, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR- OFONE-HALF TO EMMET F.

OBRIEN AND ONE-HALF TO FRED FULTZ, BOTH OF CLOV'ERDALE, INDIANA.

WAGON-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 17, 1910.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911. Serial No. 544,448.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. OBRLEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cloverdale, in the county of Putnam and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Wagon-Box, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to wagon; boxes and its object is to provide adevice of this character designed to be used in connection with therunning gear of different makes of wagons, said box being formed withmovable bottom sections designed to swing downwardly for the purpose ofdumping the contents of the box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterhaving novel means carried solely by the box and for the purpose ofelevating the movable bottom sections and supporting them in closedposition.

A still further object is to provide improved means for locking thebottom sections in elevated posit-ions, said means being shiftable forthe purpose of permitting the said bottom sections to drop promptly totheir open position when it is desired to dump the contents of the box.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter morefully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation andpart-1y in section of a wagon box constructed in accordance with thepresent invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a verticaltransverse section through the wagon box and showing the bottom sectionsopen. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of said box.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates thebody of the box, the same being provided along the side walls thereofwith inclined bottom portions 2 which converge downwardly and form anoutlet opening 3 in the bottom of the box. The side walls of the boxextend outside of these inclined portions 2 and are cut away asindicated at 4 so as to permit the front wheels of the vehicle on whichthe box is placed to swing under the side portions of the box and thusmake short turns. The side Walls of said box are also designed to reston the bolsters 5 of the vehicle and cross cleats 6 are secured to saidwalls and are designed to extend between and against the bolsters so asto prevent the box from shifting longitudinally upon said bolsters.

Opposed bottom sections 7 and 8 are hingedly connected to the loweredges of the side portions 2 and those edges of said sections to whichthe hinges are attached are preferably beveled as shown at 9 so as topermit the bottom sections to swing downwardly into vertical positionsas shown in Fig. 3. The two sections 7 and 8 extend throughout thelength of the bottom and a chain 10 is secured to each end of each ofthe sections 7 and 8 the two chains at one end of the box convergingupwardly and being attached to a single elevating chain 11 while the twochains adjacent the other end of the box are similarly connected toanother elevating chain 11. Both of the elevating chains are secured toa winding shaft 12. the end portions of which are journaled within thebrackets 18 secured upon the middle portions of the upper edges of theend walls of the box and a worm gear 14 is secured to the front end ofthe shaft.

A yoke 15 is mounted upon the front end of the box 1, there being a wormshaft 17 journaled within this yoke and provided with a worm 18 designedto engage the gear 14. A crank 19 or the like may be attached to one endof the shaft 17 to facilitate manual rotation thereof, and a ratchetwheel 16 may be secured to the shaft. This wheel is normally engaged bya pawl 20 which holds the worm and gear against rotation.

When it is desired to use the box herein described the same is placedupon bolsters on the wagon axles, the cleats 6 serving to prevent thebox from shifting longitudinally upon the bolsters. The bottom sections7 and 8 will of course be disposed between the bolsters. bottom sectionsit is necessary to rotate the shaft 17 and gear 14 and shaft 12 will berevolved and the chains 11 will therefore be wound on shaft 12 and thesections 7 and 8 elevated to their closed positions.

.Should it be desired to dump the contents of the wagon box it becomesmerely neces- To close and secure the sary to lift the pawl out ofengagement with the ratchet wheel on shaft 17. Shaft 12 will thereforeswiftly unwind the chains and permit the sections 7 and 8 to drop totheir hanging positions. Should it be desired to slowly lower the bottomsections, the gear 14 can be gradually rotated by means of the worm.This last manner of dumping the contents is especially desirable wherethe contents of the box are to be spread over a considerable area. Byslowly opening the bottom of the box and moving the wagon forward thecontents will be distributed in this manner. If desired the yoke 15 canbe pivotally mounted, as at 21 to permit the worm to swing out ofengagement with the gear to effect a very sudden dumping. In such astructure a cam lock 22 is preferably used.

It is of course to be understood that various changes may be made in theconstruction and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as ingbottom sections hingedly connected to the side portions thereof, a shaftjournaled upon the end portions of the box, and flexible connectionsbetween the shaft and sections, said connections being adapted to bewound on the shaft, of a gear secured to the shaft, a yoke pivotallymounted at one end upon one end of the wagon box, a shaft journaledwithin and extending above the yoke, means on the shaft for rotating thesame, a worm revoluble withthe shaft, a cam mounted for rotation uponone end of the wagon box and constituting means for supporting the yokewith the worm out of mesh with the gear, and means for rotating the camto shift the yoke and to move the worm into mesh with the gear, said camconstituting means for holding the worm in mesh.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES. F. OBRIEN.

IVitnesses C. A. ROCKWELL, G. B. ROCKWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

